The Homewood-Flossmoor girls volleyball team is playing with confidence this season.
Some of it comes from a overall 25-6 record and a SouthWest Suburban Conference tally of 7 – 0. Some comes from winning eight straight and 16 of the last 17. Some comes from being an experienced team full of upperclassmen.
“We’re just trying to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re not doing anything different in practice, just getting in and getting our work done and getting out,” coach Bob St. Leger said. “The girls are playing great. They’re playing aggressively. Confidence goes a long way in this sport.”
One thing is different, though. H-F sees a sports psychologist weekly. That’s new this season, and St. Leger said the girls have responded to it.
“She just kind of gives us tips and tools to deal with some of the anxiety that comes with playing a high-intensity sport and taking care of ourselves with the things that we put in our bodies,” St. Leger said. “I do think it mattered. I think that’s part of it. But this is a veteran group, and we believe in each other.”
All that was on display during an Oct. 17 win over Lincoln-Way West (19-12, 4-3).
The Vikings went back and forth with the Warriors during the first set until a 7-1 run put H-F up 23-19. Senior LaDonna Trantham fueled much of that run and the Vikings took the set 25-22.
H-F was in control for almost the duration of the second set. It was dominant for stretches. Trantham and Kymora Scott were overpowering en route to a 25-17 set and a 2-0 victory.
“Even when things weren’t going well for us in the first set, I think we still felt pretty good,” St. Leger said. “(Lincoln-Way West has) had our number the last couple years, so it could’ve been really easy to say ‘Here we go, again’ when we were down. It helps when you have Kymora and LaDonna on the floor. In almost every match we have the two best players on the floor.”
Scott finished the evening with five kills, two blocks, two aces and three digs. Trantham had 14 kills, a dig and block. Skylar Skinner had 21 assists.
The win is another big mental hurdle the Vikings have jumped this season. West was one of a handful of teams that got the best of H-F in recent years.
Winning 2-0 at Lockport was an important one. The Porters swept H-F only two weeks before for their eighth consecutive win in the series.
“That one really boosted our confidence a lot and this one (against LWW) is just going to boost it even more because we have a record of losing to (Lincoln-Way) Central, Lockport, Bolingbrook,” Scott said. “To see us win that, it makes us have higher hopes for the season.”
Homewood-Flossmoor now heads to Lincoln-Way East on Oct. 22 to try to jump another hurdle. That one amounts to the conference championship, with both teams 7-0 in the SWSC.
“People look down on H-F for volleyball, so to get that title would definitely give us one for the books,” Scott said. “I think they all look down on us but this isn’t the same Homewood-Flossmoor. We have a goal and we’re going to do anything, literally anything, to get that.”
The Griffins are led by Indiana University commit Alaina Pollard. St. Leger believes LWE has proven itself the top team in the conference.
“I know East will want it bad. We got them here last year,” he said. “Maybe they underestimated us a little bit last year but I’m sure they won’t (this time). They’ve got a great coach, great players. We’re going to have to be ready to go.”